ESD Alliance: Lanza and Semico to serve as Change Agents

The ESD Alliance has announced two additional updates on its remarkable road to renaissance. The Alliance formerly known as the EDA Consortium says Dr. Lucio Lanza, long-time EDA investor and 2014 Kaufman Award winner, is joining the organization’s board of directors, effective immediately.

That news is unique for 4 reasons: a) Lanza is the first new board member since EDAC was relaunched as ESDA; b) Lanza is the only member of the board who is not currently serving as the CEO of a company, the first such circumstance in recent memory; c) Lanza serves on the board of PDF Solutions, triggering another first in that one company is now represented twice on the EDAC/ESDA board with PDF’s John Kibarian also serving therein; and d) Lanza was not elected, but appointed.

Certainly for all of these reasons and more, Dr. Lucio Lanza will serve as a refreshing change agent as the EDA Consortium morphs into the ESD Alliance.

The second major update from the ESD Alliance is the announcement of a “cooperative marketing” partnership with Semico.

In case you’ve forgotten: “Semico Research, founded in 1994 by semiconductor industry experts, is a semiconductor marketing and consulting research company, [that offers] custom consulting, portfolio packages, individual market research studies and premier industry conferences, improving the validity of semiconductor product forecasts via technology roadmaps in end-use markets. Semico is also noted for its coverage of the IP market.”

Per the press release, the new partnership “will enable the ESD Alliance and Semico to promote their common business goals. Semico will assist the ESD Alliance in broadening its reach into the IP community by promoting it at Semico events, on its website and through promotional emails, and will provide a discount to ESD Alliance members for purchase of individual research reports, will offer enterprise-wide access to its IPI Monthly Report and extend admission discounts to Semico conference events.

“In exchange, Semico has become an associate member of the ESD Alliance, which will post availability of new Semico research reports and provide a link to its website for Semico blogs and articles.”

Bob Smith, ESD Alliance Executive Director, is quoted in the press release: “Our new mission is focused on representing the design ecosystem, and IP is a key component [therein]. We will rely on Semico’s expertise as we expand our presence and showcase our benefits to IP vendors and suppliers.”

Jim Feldham, President of Semico, returns the compliment in the same press release: “The ESD Alliance recognizes that the IP community is an important element of the semiconductor design ecosystem, and one that will benefit from its newly expanded charter and ongoing initiatives. We look forward to working with the ESD Alliance to raise the visibility of the importance of the IP market.”

**************An observation …

It would be good news to hear that ESDA has also struck up a “cooperative marketing” partnership with Gary Smith EDA. Although that organization does not host conferences, it certainly provides important market research and custom consulting to a significant portion of the ESD Alliance. Hopefully, when Gary Smith EDA is presenting on Sunday evening, June 5th, at the Design Automation Conference in Austin, we will hear of such a partnership.